Moving forward

Rebecca Raves



 

 

In this week’s Pleasanton Express, you’ll find a story by our College Intern/Staff Reporter Gabriella Ruiz on Charlotte ISD’s Social Emotional Counselor Jennifer Blanton and her wonderfully decorated office. You might think, why is this a big deal? Every school has a counselor for its students.

A former Charlotte Trojanette myself, I never had a social emotional counselor during my time in school. Yes, we did have a counselor, but solely for academic purposes. Having a social emotional counselor is a whole new ballgame as it will benefit the overall well-being of students and staff.

In recent years, we have all been working together to break the stigma on mental health. We are getting there at a steady pace, but we can always do more. Having a counselor in our schools specifically aimed at mental, social and emotional support is the perfect place to move forward.

Everyone knows that school can be tough. Not just academically, but socially, too. Especially at the junior high level. And let’s not forget that some children come to school from broken homes, so they might already be dealing with a lot on their plate before walking through those doors. Having a counselor on campus to help them work through their struggles is key to acknowledging mental health at a young age. And not just for students, but our teachers and entire school staff as well. They need someone to talk to, too.

As someone who lives with anxiety and depression, I wish I had a counselor to talk to when I was in school. I went through some trying times … as we all do. I could not make sense of what was going on. My family didn’t know what to do — there was very little information or conversation on mental health at the time. I had the best of friends, but I wasn’t one to burden others with my problems. (I was the one everyone came to for help.) Maybe if I had a social emotional counselor to talk to, then things would have been different.

So, when I say that I’m so excited for CISD and its students and staff to have Mrs. Blanton and her fellow counselors, Megan Garcia and Leslie Stevens, I really mean it. I’m excited to see the morale of my former school come up and the confidence in these young kids go through the roof. I hope you take the time to read through Gabi’s story on Mrs. Blanton. And if you are struggling with your own mental health, know that you are not alone and that you are not less of a human being for struggling. We are all in this together and I can’t wait to see what comes next for us as we all work together to break the stigma in talking openly about mental health.

REBECCA PESQUEDA is the News Editor of the Pleasanton Express. You may reach her at rpesqueda@pleasantonexpress.com.

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